We’re back at Northern California’s Thunderhill Raceway, where the temperatures hit the 3-digit mark, the penalty laps were handed out in generous quantities to many a BMW and Honda, and the largest number of teams to be accepted into a LeMons race (thanks to the recent expansion of the Thunderhill course and resulting room for more cars) showed up: 242 entries! With so many cars, we don’t have space to cover the boring fast teams, so let’s check out a few of the better Class B and Class C entries.
If you like vintage GM machinery, why get yet another second-gen F-body when you can get a ’77 Pontiac LeMans for less money and have more fun racing it?
Class C is going to be the struggle to watch this weekend. This Rover SD1 will be representing the pride of Britain.
Can the Rover use its V8 to beat this rally-bred Subaru RX for the class win? So far in its LeMons career, the RX has been averaging about 50 laps per engine.
This Jensen-Healey, complete with Lotus 907 engine, looks pretty quick on paper. Perhaps it will own Class C at Thunderhill!
Of course, in order for that Jensen-Healey ownage to take place, the team will need to beat this Slant-6-engined Plymouth Duster.
And this 200cid-straight-6-powered Ford Fairmont.
Not to mention this 1965 Chevrolet Corvair, which now boasts a mid-mounted Buick 215 aka Rover V8.
The LeMons Supreme Court put the Hella Shitty diesel-engined Porsche 911 in Class A for its debut earlier in the year, which seemed excessively strict after the TDI 911 got lapped by a dead-stock Toyota Starlet. This time, Class C.
Still, there is Total Domination Included with this car.
The Panting Polar Bear 1961 Rambler Classic features 3-on-the-tree manual shifting and straight-6 power.
However, another car at this race has 4-on-the-tree! Yes, this Peugeot 404, which had spent the last 25 years parked in a field before being revived as a race car, has a column-shifted 4-speed manual transmission. A proud day for France.
These Peugeot racers seem pretty confident that their 404 will do well on its first race outing.
Their main rival won’t be the Rambler, though, because here’s a Renault 10.
Some great low-buck engineering was on display. For example, this cold-air-induction system on a Buick Skyhawk.
The Faster Farms Chickens and their 1966 Plymouth Belvedere went into Class B this time, because their car is a touch too reliable for Class C.
More teams need to wear dignified chicken suits.
Would you believe that this “Mello Hell No” NASCAR replica is really a Volvo 244? The Chevolvo guys have some serious body and paint skills.
There were too many good team costumes to describe in any detail here.
The BRIBED stencil represented a typical Thunderhill racer cringing from the frequent PA announcements that track manager Dave Vodden is known for.
OK, so this whatever-the-hell-it-is car isn’t in Class B or Class C, and it got hammered with penalty laps, but it still deserves a mention here. Starting with a bunch of Fiero suspension bits, Chevy S10 and Olds Bravada body parts, a supercharged GM 3800 V6, and we’re not even sure what else, this team fabricated an amazing mid-engined racing machine that had all the spectators amazed.
Featuring a lot of more backyard-style engineering and a mid-mounted-and-heavily-offset Chrysler 440 V8 engine, the Bad Decisions Racing Mercedes-Benz made it into Class B. It might be quick (this time), but we’re not betting that way.
How about some monstrous 18″ diameter, 345 width tires on all 4 corners?
This probably isn’t what Daimler-Chrysler was supposed to be about.
We’ll have many more stories to tell after Saturday’s first race session, so check in later.
LeMons Northern California Inspections: Peugeot 404 vs Renault 10 vs Corvair, 239 Other Teams.
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